PAST MODALS: “SHOULD HAVE… WOULD HAVE…”

DISCUSSING MISTAKES

Instructions:
 Learn some past participles that will be useful in the activity. Write them in the
spaces provided next to the infinitive of the verbs.
 Find the video:
On YouTube, by searching for “English Through Videos: Past Modals “Should
have… Would have…” – Discussing Mistakes”.
Or by clicking the link on the website where you found the activity worksheet
( https://en.islcollective.com/ or http://busyteacher.org/ ).
 Watch the video clips and listen to the mistakes described.
 Fill in the missing words to describe what the mistake was.
 Use “should have…” and “would have…” to give your opinions or suggestions about
the past actions.

A. Write in the past participles (3rd form) of these verbs.

give ___________given_____________ sell _____________________________

wait __________waited____________ use _____________________________
do ______________________________ keep _____________________________
commit ______________________________ gamble _____________________________
put ______________________________ buy _____________________________
get ______________________________ invest _____________________________
go ______________________________ save _____________________________
sign ______________________________ write _____________________________
be ______________________________ measure _____________________________
drop ______________________________ check _____________________________
say ______________________________ speak _____________________________
borrow ______________________________ call _____________________________
ask ______________________________ wear _____________________________
make ______________________________ try _____________________________
think ______________________________ see _____________________________
know ______________________________ plan _____________________________

YouTube: English Through Videos

B. Give your opinions and suggestions on the past mistakes described in the video.
What would you have done in that situation? What should the person involved
have done or not done?

Mistake 10
Ronald Wayne __________________ his shares in Apple for just $800. Today, those same shares
would be worth _________________________.

What should Ronald Wayne have done?

He ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mistake 9
Bill Gates made a billion dollar mistake by not adding ___________________________ to Microsoft.

What should Bill Gates have done?

He ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mistake 8
The burglars used ___________________________ to disguise their faces when they committed a
robbery.

What should the men have done?

They _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mistake 7
Janete Lee gave all of her money away to ____________________________________________

Would you have given the money away? What would you have done with it?
I ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mistake 6
A man started a fire as ______________________________________, but it got out of control and killed
many people.

What should the man have done?

He ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

YouTube: English Through Videos

Mistake 5
Etta May was so nervous when she went to collect her _____________________________ that she
asked her son to sign for it and collect her winnings. Her son claimed the money and then
_______________________________

What should Etta May have done?

She ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mistake 4
A burglar ___________________________________ when he broke into a building.

What should Peter Addison have done?

He ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mistake 3
A French railway operator forgot to ___________________________________, so the trains delivered
were _______________________________ for the stations.

What should the railway company have done?

They _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mistake 2
An employee of a firework factory dropped some _________________________ and started a huge
____________________________

What could the company have done to prevent the fire?

They _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mistake 1
Evelyn Adams won the ___________________________ but she spent it all ____________________________

What should Evelyn have done? What would you have done with the money?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

YouTube: English Through Videos